City go into the final day of the season one point ahead of Liverpool after a title race that has raised the bar from anything the Premier League has seen before.

Liverpool’s long wait to win the title could unbelievably stretch into its 30th year despite posting the third highest points tally in Premier League history.

With victory on England’s south coast on Sunday, City will hit 98 points, two less than their record-breaking campaign last season, but arguably even more impressive having come from seven points behind in January and refusing to budge in a 13-game winning run as the finishing line approaches.

“It’s a privilege,” said Guardiola on Friday. “Is a dream to be here, honestly I didn’t expect months ago when we were seven points (behind) against this Liverpool to be in the position that we are now.

“We have the chance to become champion if we win our game and that is what we have to do.”

The scale of the achievement in holding off Jurgen Klopp’s charging Reds was amplified when Guardiola saw his old side Barcelona thrashed 4-0 at Anfield on Tuesday as Liverpool reached a second consecutive Champions League final.

City could make history by becoming the first side to ever win the English domestic treble as long as they match Liverpool’s result at home to Wolves this weekend and defeat Watford in the FA Cup final next Saturday.

But despite all they have achieved this season to this point, Guardiola believes City must finish the job if they are to avoid being “destroyed” by their critics.

“We saw in the Champions League. (Barcelona and Ajax) lost once but everybody destroyed the teams, destroyed the managers, destroyed the clubs,” added Guardiola.

– ‘You have to win’ –

“Doing incredible, doing well, we know in which world we live and you have to win.”

City have racked up 157 goals in all competitions this season, but have had to grind it out in recent weeks, winning three of their last four games 1-0.

A wonder strike from captain Vincent Kompany, his first goal from outside the box in 12 years, was needed to see off Leicester 1-0 on Monday, while Sergio Aguero’s winner at Burnley the week before crossed the line by 30 millimetres.

Brighton’s survival in the Premier League was guaranteed by Cardiff’s relegation last weekend and the Seagulls showed they have not switched off for their summer holidays by holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates a day later.

“In one game anything can happen. One mistake from our side, one incredible performance from the other side, one mistake from the referees can decide the title,” warned Guardiola.

“That’s why we have to be more precise, be better and try to win the game.”

City could be boosted by the return of Kevin de Bruyne from injury, but fellow midfielder Fernandinho misses out.

The 37-year-old Swiss had returned this week to the surface for the first time in three years — his last clay court match was a loss to Thiem in Rome in 2016.

While Federer was heading out, there were no such problems for top seed Novak Djokovic who made the last-four when Marin Cilic withdrew and Rafael Nadal, the second seed, who brushed aside Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-2.

Thiem, the 2018 Roland Garros runner-up and winner of the Barcelona title last month, prevailed in two hours 10 minutes against Federer having saved two match points in a 15-minute second set tie-break.

He will on Saturday face world number one Djokovic, who advanced on a walkover when Cilic pulled out with a stomach virus.

Five-time champion Nadal needed just over an hour to reach his 11th Madrid semi-final and will face Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, a winner over defending champion Alexander Zverev by 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.

“It was a good match for me, Stan is not an easy opponent regardless of the scoreline,” said Nadal after his 14th quarter-final in the last 15 years in the Spanish capital.

“I had to play good tennis and reach my best level.”

Federer said he was happy to have made his clay court comeback.

“I feel very good about my game. I thought I had some good matches here,” the 20-time Grand Slam champion said. “I feel good on the clay right now.”

Federer now has the option to take up a wild card being held for him next week in Rome. Otherwise, his next clay event will be the French Open where he last  played in 2015.

“The match was so close,” said Austrian fifth seed Thiem who had also defeated Federer in the Indian Wells final in March. “I was really lucky to save the  match points.

“Roger was playing unbelievable on the clay. I’m very, very happy to win. He is so special, maybe the best ever in tennis, he has something different.

“Every time you play him, every point is a big challenge.”

In the final set, Thiem earned a break for 2-1 as Federer netted a backhand but the Swiss rallied to break back, 4-4.

The momentum fizzled out though and a game later Thiem broke again for 5-4 with a lob winner.

– ‘Nice feeling’ –

The Austrian served out his fourth victory in six matches against Federer a game later.

Meanwhile, Simona Halep closed in on a return to the top of the world rankings after beating Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-0 to advance to the women’s final.

Halep, currently number three in the world, will reclaim the number one ranking should she win her third title at the Caja Magica.

Bencic had defeated Halep in their last two matches, but the reigning French Open champion, who lifted the trophy in Madrid in 2016 and 2017, came through  in just under two hours.

Halep will play Dutch seventh seed Kiki Bertens, a finalist in Madrid last year, who defeated 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 7-5.

“It’s such a nice feeling to be back in the final here. I really enjoy playing in Madrid, it motivates me,” Halep said.

With the course conditions at the Sobu Country Club playing to his advantage, Shin was in his element as he marked his flawless card with four birdies for a two-day total of four-under-par 138 to take the second day’s honours.

Boonma, who held the overnight lead, looked to have fallen out of contention when he struggled to an outward 40.

The Thai however, rallied back strongly with two birdies in his last two holes to sign for a 73, moving into a share of second place with Australia’s Brendan Jones, Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura and Korea’s Y.E. Yang.

A proven winner in Japan, Jones knows that anything can happen despite heading into the weekend just two shots back of Shin.

The Australian has been playing regularly in Japan since 2001 and won his 15th title in Nagoya last month.

The weekend cut was set at four-over par with 60 players making it into the final two rounds.

The Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup is the Asian Tour’s first stop in Japan this season and second of four co-sanctioned events with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT saw the best and the brightest stars in martial arts grace the ONE Circle to showcase their incredible skills.

In the main event, reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao successfully retained his World Title, defeating game challenger Suzuki of Japan by unanimous decision after five rounds. In the co-main event, Petchdam Petchyindee Academy of Thailand defeated Elias Mahmoudi of Algeria to capture the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship.

In the main event of the evening, Muay Thai legend and local Thai superstar Nong-O Gaiyanghadaoretained his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship with a completely dominant showing over game but overmatched challenger Hiroaki “Kaibutsukun” Suzuki of Japan. Suzuki took the full force of Nong-O’s mighty right lead roundhouse kick for the duration of the five-round bout, and survived the onslaught to the final bell. Nong-O, however, was ahead every step of the way behind a virtuoso performance. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Nong-O Gaiyanghadao to win by unanimous decision.

In the co-main event of the evening, Thailand’s “Baby Shark” Petchdam Petchyindee Academycaptured the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship with a gutsy performance, outlasting Algeria’s Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi to win via technical decision. Action was intense throughout the contest, with Petchdam unloading his vaunted left leg kicks and Mahmoudi finding success by using his length to his advantage. An illegal blow in the fifth and final round ended matters abruptly however, as Mahmoudi was deemed unable to continue after the break. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards and all three judges scored in favor of the winner, Petchdam Petchyindee Academy.

Japanese veteran Shoko Sato made a successful ONE Championship debut, finishing New Zealand’sMark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo with a furious barrage of ground-and-pound. Following a fierce first round which saw Abelardo come out of the gates aggressively, Sato turned up the heat in the second, taking Abelardo to the mat and finishing him off with strikes from the top. With Abelardo offering no defense, referee Yoshinori Umeki was forced to call a halt to the contest in the second round, awarding Sato with the technical knockout victory.

Muay Thai superstar Rodtang “Iron Man” Jitmuangnon of Thailand sent his hometown crowd of Bangkok into a frenzy, delivering a riveting knockout finish of Cambodia’s Sok Thy. Rodtang came out of the gates blazing, firing a myriad of blistering strikes at Thy, who offered very little defense. It was Rodtang’s thudding leg kicks that did the most damage however, as the Thai warrior endlessly battered Thy’s lower body into submission. Although Thy survived the first round, “Iron Man” put on the finishing touches with another ferocious combination to end matters a little over a minute into the second round.

Local Thai athlete Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit authored a thrilling knockout of the Philippines’ Robin Catalan in a strawweight mixed martial arts contest. Catalan started the bout aggressively, pursuing Mitsatit across the ONE Circle with his wushu-style combinations whilst taking Mitsatit’s back. After Mitsatit escaped and action returned to the feet, “The Smiling Assassin” began to unload thunderous knees to Catalan’s body, delivering the final blow to the Filipino’s ribcage to end matters midway through the first round.

China’s “Muay Thai Boy” Zhang Chenglong and Cyprus’ Panicos Yusuf delighted the Impact Arena crowd with an intense striking skirmish in their three-round ONE Super Series kickboxing contest. It was a furious pace from start to end, as both Zhang and Yusuf unloaded their best strikes for the duration of the bout. In the third round, Zhang dropped Yusuf twice and nearly finished the Cypriot, but Yusuf survived to the final bell. In the end, the result was clear as Zhang took home a unanimous decision victory for his efforts.

Japanese veteran Kazuki Tokudome came back from being dominated in the first round, to stopping Australian powerhouse Adrian “The Hunter” Pang in the second with a fierce offensive, winning via technical knockout. The two warriors traded their best offense from the opening bell, tagging each other with powerful combinations. After a Tokudome left straight opened up a cut above Pang’s left eye in the second round however, the official physician deemed Pang unable to continue and Tokudome was awarded the victory.

Cyprus’ Savvas “The Baby Face Killer” Michael put together a spectacular performance, defeating multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion Singtongnoi Por Telakun in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight contest. Michael’s long reach and pinpoint accurate striking proved to be a problem for the Thai striker, as the Cypriot kept Singtongnoi constantly at the end of his combinations throughout the contest. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Michael to win by unanimous decision.

Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 turned in a scintillating performance, punishing opponent Rui Botelhoof Portugal for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight bout. After dropping Botelho in the first round with an overhand right, Superlek proceeded to pick Botelho apart for the duration of the contest, showcasing his complete arsenal of offensive weapons. Botelho had his moments, but they were few and far between. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Superlek.

Former WFL World Champion Pieter “The Archangel” Buist of The Netherlands made a successful ONE Championship debut, coming from behind to topple Japanese grappler Kota “Kong” Shimoishi. After getting controlled on the ground in the first round by the stronger wrestler in Shimoishi, Buist came alive in the second round, connecting on a handful of significant strikes including a right straight that wobbled his Japanese opponent. Buist followed up by landing three technical ground knees to earn the stoppage victory.

Former ONE World Title challenger Janet “JT” Todd of the United States made a triumphant return to the ONE Circle, dominating and then finishing opponent Wang Chin Long of Chinese Taiwan. Todd was faster and sharper with her strikes up to the finish, as Wang played defense for the majority of the contest. Todd dropped Wang three times in round two, earning her a technical knockout in the final second of the frame.

Kicking off ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT were strawweights Ovais “The Enigma” Shah of Pakistan and“Wolf of the Grasslands” Hexigetu of China. The two athletes put together a highly-competitive technical battle featuring Shah’s rangey striking and Hexigetu’s wrestling. In the end however, it was Hexigetu who emerged victorious, earning the judges’ nod to win by unanimous decision.

Official results for ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT

ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship bout: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defeats Hiroaki Suzuki by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship bout: Petchdam Petchyindee Academy defeats Elias Mahmoudi by Technical Decision (TD)

Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight bout: Shoko Sato defeats Mark Fairtex Abelardo by TKO (Strikes) at 1:58 minutes of round 2

Muay Thai Flyweight bout: Rodtang Jitmuangnon defeats Sok Thy by Knockout (KO) at 1:36 minutes of round 2

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight bout: Pongsiri Mitsatit defeats Robin Catalan by Knockout (KO) at 3:05 minutes of round 1

Kickboxing Bantamweight bout: Zhang Chenglong defeats Panicos Yusuf by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight bout: Kazuki Tokudome defeats Adrian Pang by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 1:27 minutes of round 2

Muay Thai Flyweight bout: Savvas Michael defeats Singtongnoi Por Telakun by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Muay Thai Flyweight bout: Superlek Kiatmoo9 defeats Rui Botelho by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight bout: Pieter Buist defeats Kota Shimoishi by Knockout (KO) at 3:55 minutes of round 2

Kickboxing Women’s Atomweight bout: Janet Todd defeats Wang Chin Long by Technical Knockout (TKO) at 2:59 minutes of round 2

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight bout: Hexigetu defeats Ovais Shah by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

The sixth staging of the event has its first leg at Kao E-to in Prachin Buri on May 26, the second at Suanphueng Highland in Ratchaburi on September 8 and the final stop at Singha Park in Chiang Rai on December 8.

“Greatness” is the theme for the opening run which focuses on the ability of competitors to get through each obstacle course. “Toughness” is the theme for the second stop where competitors must rely on their physical fitness to overcome while ‘’Braveness” is require in the third circuit in order to survive all the challenges.

Each circuit will consist of three events: individual, team and a family kids walk-run.

The individual competition comprises an 8km sprint of 20 obstacle courses and a 15km Lionheart (8km main route run and 7km nature route run).

The four-member team event features three 8km runs – the first two members are responsible for the 8km run, the other two for the second 8km and all four members must compete in the last run.

For the family kids walk-run, only children over six can compete over 2km.

Senior Vice President Singha Corporation Rungsrid Luxsitanonda says the event have been successfully held over the past five years and underlines the company’s policy to make Thai people aware of the importance of exercise.

“Competitors will have a run and a smile. They will be challenged with various kinds of obstacles amid beautiful nature,” Runsrid said.

For further information visit http://www.SportsRepublicTH.com or https://my.raceresult.com/119973/.

The martial arts enthusiast has recently launched a TV and film production division, One Studios, and plans to announce its first film next month.

As his camp is full of MMA exponents with inspirational backgrounds, Chatri formed an idea to turn their lives into films with the aim of creating real-life heroes to inspire children with fewer opportunities.

“One doesn’t only create fighters but also heroes who are appreciated by the world,” said Chatri in an exclusive interview during a recent visit to Bangkok. “If they gain fame, why not have a career in films to set an example for children to follow their footsteps.”

The One chairman explained that many Thai world boxing and martial arts champions had tough upbringings but had no financial security after retirement.

A career in acting, just like former WWE champion Dwayne Johnson or “The Rock” has achieved in Hollywood, should provide a promising option for these boxers when they can no longer fight.

“Many boxers in Thailand have to make a living by driving tuktuks or working as security guards after they throw in the towel. So why can’t we give them a job in another field as a second option,” Chatri said.

The Thai-Japanese businessman, already with media distribution through live broadcast of his events to over 140 nations worldwide, thinks he has spotted a good opportunity to create content for television, films or for digital markets like Netflix, Amazon or even Hollywood to be exported to the west and other continents.

“Thai athletes mostly come from poor Isaan families but have incredible life stories before they became world champions. The West really loves inspiring life stories and they want to cheer for these people,” added Chatri, who added that if Korean soap operas, which are non-English, can be widely popular, his project about Thai heroes should be a hit too.

Mutiple time One Championship winner Shannon Wiratchai and One Bantamweight Muaythai world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao are potential One stars that will gain huge recognition from the projects.

“Krutong [Shannon] has an interesting life story. He is good looking and very charismatic while Nong-O is one of the greatest Muay Thai world champions in history. He is very humble but a big hero,” Chatri said adding pin-up girl Rika Hishitake, a Thai-Japanese MMA fighter, as another prospect star from the project.

Apart from the movie project, One recently signed a partnership with Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA), an Amsterdam based non-profit organisation made up of pioneers in MMA across five continents. Chatri, with help from GAMMA, hopes to see MMA’s Asian heritage feature in the 2028 LA Olympics.

“ONE Championship and GAMMA have the best chance to take MMA into the Olympics because of our values. We both represent integrity, humility, honour and respect which are the values that Olympics care a lot about,” Chatri said.

He said unlike the American based MMA promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) which he described as violent, bloody and ill-mannered, One and GAMMA focus more on the art of defence, discipline, sportsmanship, respect and patience.

“When children put the posters of our heroes in their bedrooms, I want to make sure that the heroes are good human beings and have good hearts. I believe One and GAMMA can go to the Olympics as we try to promote positive, inspiration, values stories and heroes for society,” Chatri said.

Suarez played the full 90 minutes of Barca’s shock 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday, which ended their hopes of reaching the Champions League final.

But the club announced on Thursday that Suarez needed an operation, with the cup final just over a fortnight away on May 25.

“Luis Suarez has an internal meniscal injury to the right knee and will be subjected today to an arthroscopy,” read a club statement.

Suarez is unlikely to face Getafe at home in La Liga on Sunday before Barcelona play away to Eibar the following weekend in their last league game of the season.

Ernesto Valverde’s side have already been crowned champions and could seal consecutive domestic doubles by beating Valencia, even it is unlikely to make amends for the collapse against Liverpool.

Federer, playing only his second match of a 2019 comeback to clay after three years away, needed two hours to defeat French showman Monfils 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3).

Osaka fell for the second time in two months to Federer’s Swiss compatriot Belinda Bencic, exiting 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. Bencic also beat the double Grand Slam winner in March at Indian Wells.

Men’s top seed Novak Djokovic, however, motored into the last eight as he hammered Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) while five-time champion Rafael Nadal dispatched Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal will next play Stan Wawrinka after the Swiss completed a national hat-trick on the day, beating Japan’s sixth seed Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Defending champion Alexander Zverev came from breaks down in both of the last two sets to get past error-prone Pole Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and now plays eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 6-3, 6-4 winner against Fernando Verdasco.

Federer admitted he struggled to get past the talented Monfils, seeded 15th, before recording his 1,200th career win.

It took a comeback from 4-1 down in the final set after sweeping the first set in 18 minutes, combined with a dominating tiebreak for the Swiss fourth seed to advance.

Federer said nothing was decided until the end of a match played in difficult swirling winds and challenging conditions.

“I had a tough run of five losing games late in the second and into the third,” said the 20-time Grand Slam champion who will face Austrian fifth seed and recent Barcelona champion Dominic Thiem for a place in the semi-finals.

“I just hung in there, saving two match points (to force a final-set tiebreaker).

“It was a very stressful situation. Now that I’m through it, I’m very excited with the win.

“This match gave me a lot of information, it showed how tricky clay can be with the wind and everything. But I tried to take the bad bounces and the rest and just play positive tennis.”

– ‘Too negative’ –

Against an inspired Bencic, Osaka served for the match in the third set leading 5-4, but could not touch a backhand return winner.

“When you play against a good player, you have to expect that they are going to play great at times,” Osaka said.

“I feel like I was negative on myself, but I tried to fix it in the third set. But my service percentage was down.”

Djokovic, who now boasts a staggering 66-2 record against French players, said he is slowly lifting his clay game.

“I felt good on the court in general and played well,” Djokovic said.

“Coming into the match I had confidence knowing I’d never lost to my opponent.”

The Madrid champion in 2011 and 2016 is searching for his top clay form as he begins the chase for a fourth straight Grand Slam title when Roland Garros starts in a little over two weeks.

Djokovic next faces ninth seed Marin Cilic after the Croatian put out Laslo Djere 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, winning 11 of the last 13 games.

Thiem, the 2018 runner-up, defeated Monte Carlo winner Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-5.

Two-time women’s champion Simona Halep overcame Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 7-5 to reach her fourth Madrid semi-final.

Romania’s third seed and former world number one will next play Bencic.

“For me, it’s a huge victory, it’s a huge match I played today,” said Halep.

Former US Open winner Sloane Stephens downed Petra Martic of Croatia 6-4, 6-3 in her quarter-final and next faces either defending champion Petra Kvitova or Kiki Bertens for a place in the semi-final.

But it will all be decided on Sunday when City travel to Brighton and Liverpool host Wolves, with Pep Guardiola’s team firm favourites to get over the line ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s charging team.

The bare statistics from both sides this season are phenomenal.

City, on 95 points, have won their past 13 Premier League matches to wipe out a seven-point lead for Liverpool and are on the brink of becoming the first team to retain the title since Manchester United in 2009.

Klopp’s men, with 94 points, have recovered from a mid-season stumble to record eight straight victories and are agonisingly close to their first English top-flight title since 1990.

The 18-time league winners face the scarcely credible scenario of ending the season with the third-highest points tally in Premier League history and a single defeat yet still missing out on the title.

City look almost certain to finish off the job on the south coast but Guardiola, speaking after a nervy 1-0 win against Leicester on Monday, is taking nothing for granted.

“The players are mature, and we have one more game,” said Guardiola. “It will be tough in Brighton. They took a result at Arsenal. We played a few weeks ago against them (in the FA Cup semi-final) and it was tough.

“They will play for pride but it’s in our hands. We were seven points behind but we never give up. We are still there and we win 13 games in a row.”

City cannot quite match the record 100 points they mustered last season but they have shown their ability to dig deep in recent weeks. Guardiola’s side have been free-scoring for the majority of the campaign, racking up 91 goals, but three of their past four wins have been 1-0 victories.

A second consecutive title for the club, who remain on course for a historic domestic treble, would underline their status as the dominant force in the English game.

A Vincent Kompany thunderbolt settled the match against Leicester, although that astonishing moment has since been overshadowed by breathtaking Champions League comebacks for Liverpool and Tottenham.

– Champions League –

Klopp will have to re-focus his players’ minds on their clash with Wolves at Anfield after their semi-final heroics against Barcelona as they cling to the hope that City will slip up.

“We will again try to collect the bones and go again against Wolves,” said Klopp, who also has fitness doubts over Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Andy Robertson to deal with.

The Liverpool narrative has changed dramatically since they overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit against the Spanish champions to reach the Champions League final 4-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.

They now know that even if they fall short they have the chance to become champions of Europe for a sixth time if they can get past Tottenham in Madrid on June 1.

But despite their European adventure, the Anfield faithful are desperate to see their team at the top of the domestic tree again.

“Now I know the atmosphere will be brilliant again and they will need to push us again because it is a difficult game on Sunday,” added Klopp.

“We have to win, which is already difficult enough, and then we will see what happens in the other stadium.”

Behind the runaway front two, all the issues in the Premier League are virtually done and dusted.

Barring a spectacular swing in goal difference, Tottenham will finish above Arsenal and mathematically seal the remaining Champions League spot alongside Chelsea, while the highest Manchester United can finish is fifth.

Wolves, in seventh place, cannot be caught and will earn a Europa League spot provided Watford do not beat City in the FA Cup final.

At the bottom of the table, Huddersfield, Fulham and Cardiff are already preparing for life in the second-tier Championship.

Fixtures

Sunday (1400 GMT)

Brighton v Manchester City, Burnley v Arsenal, Crystal Palace v Bournemouth, Fulham v Newcastle, Leicester v Chelsea, Liverpool v Wolves, Manchester United v Cardiff, Southampton v Huddersfield, Tottenham v Everton, Watford v West Ham

Defending champions City have the upper hand as they lead by a point knowing they only have to match Liverpool’s result to become the first side in a decade to retain the title.

Liverpool have not lifted the league since 1990, but could not have done much more to finally end that wait after posting a club record 94 points with one game to spare.

Incredibly the Reds could post the third highest points tally ever in the Premier League with victory against Wolves and still miss out.

“Both teams deserve the title. But it can be just one. The team that is going to lose can’t have regrets because they have given everything,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.

Statistically this is the greatest Premier League title race of all-time, but AFP Sports looks at what rivals it for drama from the history books.

2011/12 – Aguero snatches the title

It is rare for the title to be won on the final day, even rarer to do it in the final minute of stoppage time in the final game.

Should City seal the title on Sunday it will be the club’s fourth in eight years, a run that was started by Sergio Aguero’s dramatic winner as they came from 2-1 down in injury time to beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 on the day and Manchester United to the title on goal difference.

City had also seemed down and out just weeks before as defeat at Arsenal saw United open up an eight-point lead with six games to go.

However, Roberto Mancini’s men won all six, including a 1-0 victory over United, while the Red Devils lost at Wigan and drew 4-4 at home to Everton to hand Aguero the chance to snatch it away.

1998/99 – United edge Arsenal to claim treble

The most memorable season in Manchester United’s history could have turned out very differently but for a late season slip up by Arsenal at Leeds.

United, Arsenal and Chelsea battled for superiority throughout the season with Alex Ferguson’s men failing to win any of the four games against their title rivals.

However, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s winner at Elland Road to beat Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season meant United claimed the title on the final day with victory over Tottenham before also going on to lift the FA Cup and Champions League.

1988/89 – Arsenal silence Anfield

Prior to Aguero’s winner in 2012, the most dramatic conclusion to a title race had no rival as Arsenal snatched the league from Liverpool’s grasp in 1988/89.

The reason the top two were even facing off in the final game of the season was because the fixture was rescheduled after the horror that saw 96 Liverpool fans killed at Hillsborough during their FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest.

However, on the field Liverpool had responded resolutely, winning seven of their next eight games to lift the FA Cup and move three points ahead of Arsenal before the end of season showdown.

The Gunners not only needed to win at fortress Anfield but do so by two clear goals.

And against the odds they did so as Michael Thomas sealed a 2-0 win in stoppage time.

1995/96 – Man Utd break Newcastle hearts

Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle were the Premier League’s great entertainers and seemed destined to deliver the title to Tyneside as they amassed a 12-point lead by January.

However, as they collapsed, winning just twice in eight games between February and April, Ferguson’s United charged, winning 13 of their last 15 games with Eric Cantona back from his eight-month ban for kicking a fan the previous season to the fore.

Newcastle’s frustration was summed up in an explosive television interview given by Keegan in which snapped back at Ferguson’s claims that other sides tried harder against Manchester United than Newcastle.

“I will love it if we beat them. Love it,” said Keegan, but the tide had turned and United pulled away to win the title by four points.

1985/86 – Dalglish leads Liverpool to double

Liverpool edged a battle for superiority on Merseyside in both the league and the FA Cup as Kenny Dalglish scored the winning goal in the title race in his first season as player-manager.

Everton led their local rivals by 12 points after victory at Anfield in late February, but Liverpool went on a storming run to win 11 and draw one of their last 12 games to claim the title by two points.